Circuit-controller for electric motors



(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 1.

W. S. HILL. CIRCUIT CONTROLLER FCR ELECTRIC MOTORS. No. 494,781..

Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

W'T' EESEE (No Model.) 4 Sheet.s-Sheet 2. W. S. HILL.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS. No. 494,781. Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(N0 Model.)

s. HILL. CIRCUIT CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

No. 494,781. Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\&

I '1 J J NIIIII ZQ/LTPIE'E EES m (No ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. W. S. HILL.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER FOR ELEGTRIO MOTORS. No. 494,781 Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

WITNESSES- \/E[\!TEIF\ UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

IVARREN S. HILL, OF HYDE PARK, ASSIGNOR TO THE IV. S. HILL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CIRCUIT-CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,781, dated April 4, 1893. Application filed May 16, 1892. Serial No. 433,130. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: tion complete as applied to a pump for con- Be it known that I, WARREN S. HILL, of trolling the supply of water in a tank. Hyde Park, in the county of Norfolk and State I have herein shown and particularly deof Massachusetts, have invented certain new scribed my invention with reference to an and useful Improvements in Means for Autoapparatus for automatically maintaining the 55 matically Controlling the Operation of Elecproper quantity of water in an elevator, or tric Motors, of which the followingis a speciother tank, but it will appear obvious from fication. the description hereinafter given that the in- This invention has for its object the pro- Vention is not confined in its use to the appa- IO vision of means for controlling the operation ratus illustrated, but it may be employed in 60 of an electric motor, in such manner that it connection with a thermostat, or any other may be automatically started and stopped unmeans which may be adapted to operate the der predetermined conditions. electric switch automatically, the last men- The invention consists of means for contioned means constituting no part of my trolling the operation of an electric motor, present invention. 6 comprising acircuit making and breaking de- In the drawings: a designates atank, which Vice or switch within the circuit of the motor is provided with a float b to which is attached for maintainingcomplete the said circuit when an upright rod 0 having collars or stops 0 c. the motor is to be operated, and breaking the A sleeve 0' on pipe 0 serves as a guide for said circuit when the motor is to be stopped, rod 0 and slides in ears or brackets 0 0 As 70 and a second switch to control the operation rod 0 rises and falls, collars c 0 will engage of the said circuit making and breaking sleeve 0 and move the same up and down. device or switch, and means as a float in a A switch lever cl, pivoted at d, is provided tank, a thermostat, or other contrivance for with a spring (1 which is connected to insu- 2 5 automatically moving the second-mentioned lated collar a secured to sleeve 0. As spring 75 switch, all as will be more fully described (1 is secured to lever cl at a point between its hereinafter. fulcrum d and the free end of the lever, said Reference is to be had to the annexed drawlever will be oscillated as soon as the collar ings, and the letters and figures which are c is above or below the fulcrum point (1', in

0 marked thereon, forming a part of this speciorder that when the water has reached the So fication, the same letters and figures indicatdesired level in the tank the lever will be ing the same parts or features, as the case may actuated. The throw of lever d is limited by be, wherever they occur. the contact strips 1 and 2, which are termi- Of the drawings: Figure 1, is a front elevanals of wires 25, and 8 leading to two contacts tion of the motor switch or circuit making 3, at. Beneath these contacts are two strips 85 and breaking deviceswithin the circuit of the e and f, having downwardly extended arms motor, and the means for operating the said e and f and pivotally mounted upon spindle devices. Fig. 2, is a perspective detail View, f. The arms 6 f are engaged alternately showing a portion of the means for making by hard rubber piece g and pin 3 on ratchet and breaking the circuit within said motor wheel g to move said strips 6 and fin and out switch. Fig. 3, is a side elevation partly in of engagement with contacts 3 and at. IVheel section of the automatically controlled switch g revolves over plates h 7L2 h and carries hard for controlling the circuit making and breakrubber piece g to which is secured a plate g ing devices before mentioned. Fig. 4, is a Brushes g g secured to this plate g are sectional view taken on the line el4t, Fig. 1. adapted to slide upon plates h 71.2 its. Plate 5 Fig. 5, is another sectional view on line 55 71/2 is connected by wire 1% with the positive of Fig. l of a portion of the circuit making pole of the generator, and plates h and 7f and breaking mechanism before mentioned with wires 19 and 20 to the field magnet and which controls the operation of the motor. armature of the motor 0, from which wires 21,

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the inven- 2 return to the negative pole of the genera- IOO tor. tact with plates 7t ha 71 will complete the motor circuits and thus start the motor. It is necessary that the brushes be in contact with the plates to actuate the motor when the tank is empty and out of contact with said plates when the tank is filled. The rotation of wheel 9 is accomplished by means of a solenoid 7.: having an arm 7i) attached to the armature of said solenoid. To the arm 71; is fulcrumed one end of abell crank levert' pivoted at i and provided with aspring t the tendency of which is to depress the longer arm of the said lever. Pivoted on the lever 'L isapawl'i' engaging the ratchet teeth of the wheel g, and kept in engagement with said wheel by spring 1 The arm of levert' engages pins Z Z on a sliding contact Z, and is adapted to make and break the solenoid circuit between pieces m and a. When the current is completed through plate Z and the coil of solenoid k, the armature thereof will be attracted and drawn into the coil by the action of the current, and when the armature has nearly reached the limit of its upward movement, lever 71 Will strike pin Z and drawing plate I upward away from contact n, break the circuit and allow the armature to drop, assisted by spring 1' when pin Z will be struck and the circuit again completed to attract the magnet as before. This action will actuate lever t' and pawl 11 to revolve wheel g. As the solenoid circuit is completed through contacts 6 and f it will be obvious that at each half-revolution of wheel g said solenoid circuit will be interrupted by rubber g and pin 3 and the wheel stopped. The wheelis started in its rotation over plates h h ]L3 by the completion of the circuit through Wire 6, lever d and wire 8, strip f being then in engagement with contact 4. The current is carried to the solenoid by wire 9 thus actuating said solenoid. The wheel will revolve until pin 5 throws strip f away from contact 1 when the wheel will stop. Strip 6 is at this time engaging contact 3 and the solenoid will be again energized when lever d is raised to engage strip 1. It is obvious that the first semi-revolution of the wheel and brushes will complete the motor circuits, thus starting the pump. It must also be understood that when the wheel completes the first semi-revolution and comes to rest, the brushes will still be in contact with the plates of the motor circuit and thus maintain said circuit and continue the action of the pump, until the float raises lever (1 into contact with strip 1, when the next semi-revolution of the wheel will take place and the motor circuits be interrupted. When the wheel and brushes come to rest at the end of the rotation, said brushes will not complete the motor circuit, and the motor willnot be started again until the wheel has begun its next trip.

The operation of the machine will next be described. Let us suppose the Water to be exhausted from the tank. The float Z) will carry lever d down into engagement with con- Brushes g g g therefore when in con-' tact 2, and the current will be completed from generator 00 through wire 6, post 7, lever 61, contact 2, wire 8, contact strip f, wire 9, through the coils of the solenoid k, wire 10, guide m, plate Z, contact a, wire 11, post 12, wire 13 to the generator. The solenoid actuated by the current revolves wheel 9 carrying the brushes g g g (Fig. 1) in contact with plates h 71. 721 and motor circuits are completed from the generator through wire 14, plate 7L2, brushes 9 9 plates 72 71. wires 15, 16, posts 17, 18, wires 19, 20, motor 0, wires 21, 22, post 12, wire 13, post 23, wire 24:, to the generator, thus setting in motion motor 0 and pump 1) to fill the tank. The wheel g will continue to revolve until pin 8 strikes arm f of contact strip f when the solenoid circuit will be broken, the brushes, however, continuing to rest in contact with the plates h h h and thus maintaining the motor circuits and continuing the action of the pump. As soon as the water has risen to the proper level in the tank, float b rising thereout will shift lever 61 into engagement with contact 1 when the solenoid will again be caused to act by a current from generator 00 through wire 6, post 7, lever (1, contact 1, wire 25, post 3, contact e into the solenoid and back to the generator as before. Wheel g will, therefore, be caused to revolve, carrying the brushes away from the plates, and stopping the motor. The wheel will continue to revolve until rubber g strikes contact 6 and breaks the solenoid circuit.

The wheel will now be in position to begin its next half revolution to energize the motor when the tank is again emptied.

As before stated my invention is not limited in its use to elevator tanks, but may be employed in connection with any device which by expansion and contraction, or by movement due to heat and cold, pressure, gravity, or other causes, is adapted to automatically move the lever d, or other form of switch.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and explained a way of constructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its employment, I declare that what I claim is- 1. The combination, with an elevator tank, a pump, and a motor, connected with said pump, of a revoluble switch in the circuit of said motor, and having a toothed wheel, a pawl engaging the teeth of said wheel, a solen oid having its core connected with said pawl to rotate the wheel and switch, and means whereby the circuit of said solenoid is opened and closed, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with an elevator tank, a pump for supplying water to said tank, and an electric motor for actuating the pump, of an electro magnet connected with said tank, and electric connections between said motor and magnet and consisting of a toothed wheel carrying switch contacts, and a pawl operated by the armature of said magnet whereby the rise and fall of the water will operate to energize and de-energize said magnet, and by the consequentreciprocation of the armature control the action of the motor and the flow of water from the pump, as set forth.

3. The combination of the revoluble switch g, contact strips 6 and f, solenoid k, lever pawl 2", float 6, rod 0, switch d connected with the generator, and contacts 1 and 2 connected with said contact strips 6 and f, substantially as described.

4. The combination of switch g, plates h 71 h the plate It connected with the generator, 

